Inspired by Golovkin, Marcial not giving up on Olympic gold dream

MANILA, Philippines -- After suffering an early exit from the Paris Olympics, a gold medal at the Games is still the dream for Eumir Marcial.

Marcial, who won a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, crashed out of the men’s 80kg boxing’s round-of-16 after getting outpointed by Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev.

After his loss, Marcial posted on Instagram that he talked with boxing icon Gennadiy Golovkin, who told him “not to stop boxing”, and that he has what it takes to be a world champion in the pro ranks.

“I don’t know if it was a coincidence that we saw each other a lot [during the Olympics,] but I felt his support for me,” Marcial told reporters in Filipino during the victory party thrown for the Philippine Olympians at Hilton Manila on Tuesday.

“I know he knows me because I defeated a lot of Kazakhstan [boxers], so maybe he knows me and he knows my capacity to win a world title in the pro ranks,” he added.

Golovkin also gave him tips in boxing, which he said is a “big deal.”

“It is a great inspiration for me to continue and train better.”

Marcial said that while being a world champion is also one of the goals -- and he received the kind words from Golovkin -- the dream remains the same for him.

“Yes [being a boxing champion] is one of the goals, but still, the Olympic gold is still the dream,” he stressed.

Asked if he will fight in Los Angeles in 2028, the 28-year-old pug voiced hope.

“Yes, God willing.”

Marcial currently has five wins in the professional ranks, with three coming from stoppages.